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The Future Is Ours


By Sheila Kirk, M.D.



The title of this article was inspired by a statement by a person who was kind enough to express their support of the opening of my new Trans surgical center. It is one of hundreds of positive remarks and encouragement I have received from community members, Trans and non-Trans healthcare professionals, and others since forming the Transgender Surgical & Medical Care Center (TSMC) in May. These encouraging remarks have been most gratifying and reinforce my reasons for building the center.

"Thank you, Dr. Kirk, your courageous step has helped to insure that the future of our medical & surgical care can at last, be ours." This statement so struck me because it succinctly expresses what my intentions were when I began pulling all the many complex pieces together to formulate TSMC. It was my intention then, as is now, as it will always be, to provide the highest standards of care, concern and management throughout all stages of your surgical and medical needs. But equally as important to all of us in our community, TSMC was founded with another purpose in mind. It is my firm belief that in order to achieve complete healthcare empowerment we must not only be surgical/medical consumers but we must also be afforded the right to be our own surgical/medical providers. This is not to say that we should not recognize or support many of those non-T professionals who have worked so hard to educate themselves on healthcare circumstances unique to us and who provide us with sound, compassionate care and management. But what it does mean, is that we should have an opportunity to select Trans professionals to manage and care for our entire healthcare needs through all stages of our gender journey.

Unfortunately, we all know that at present that is not the case. Although some important headway has been made by our sisters and brothers in the psychologic fields, many of us are aware of the difficulties encountered by medical physicians who have been forced or asked to leave their hospitals, their residencies or their medical partnerships when they come out or when they transition. Some have been able to continue caring for us in solo office settings, some have opened clinics that offer out-patient cosmetic surgical services but very few have been able to maintain their hospital privileges and work within the system in the discipline in which they were trained. And until the start of TSMC no Trans surgeon has performed GRS and related surgical procedures for members of our community.

Yes, it is rewarding to me to be the first surgeon who was able to break the barrier that permeates the medical profession but that accomplishment has bittersweetness about it. Trans-medical professionals treating our community at all levels should be the norm not the exception.

How can this be accomplished? It won't be an easy task. But if we want empowerment and the ability to make important decisions in our healthcare needs, it needs to be done. We must all unite together, support each other and work together to help those who wish to work within the healthcare system. And support them when they do. Statistics show that when given the choice genetic women (GW) prefer to have GW physicians and psychologists treat them. We can go a long way to empowering ourselves just as GW's have empowered themselves by enlisting Trans-professionals to administer our care. I am not suggesting, however, that we should go to T professionals simply because they are members of our community. That would be foolhardy and potentially hazardous to our health. Select your Trans professional with the same concern and guidelines you would any other healthcare provider.

Another way we can help one another is by mentoring one another. Those of us who are physicians and mental healthcare providers can help those who are considering working in the medical field or who wish to enter it by sharing their expertise and life experience. Many of my colleagues as well as myself do this already in an informal manner but a more united effort could prove to be much more helpful and effective.

TSMC is committed to going a step further. We are dedicated to improve upon the informal mentoring that surgeons performing GRS surgeries worldwide now provide one another. Many of you may be surprised to learn that GRS surgeons learn from one another through observation and assisting in each other's surgeries, by sharing their techniques with each other and by reporting to the medical literature and at meetings. Currently there is no formal training program in Trans-surgery; informal mentoring and exchange with other surgeons is the method that is used by all who work in this surgical discipline. We, at TSMC, feel that our community would be better served by instituting a formalized program. Therefore, as we grow,we will formally teach the intricate techniques of trans-surgeries, our pioneered techniques and our methods to improve sensation and functionality to talented and dedicated residents wanting to make this important discipline their career choice in the future. We intend to do our part in empowering our community not only by providing the best and most innovative care and surgical technique but also by training Trans (and non-T) individuals interested in making Trans surgery and medicine their professional future.

This step is a first step for our community...a small step...when compared to the others steps that should and will follow in this relatively new discipline I like to refer to as Trans Care. So much needs to be done and it will take the commitment and support of all of us. Yet, it is a much-needed step towards our empowerment and one that is far overdue. Where are we to go from here? It's up to us to decide.

Empowerment on the medical and surgical level isn't the only task at hand toward our independence and self-reliance. Take a moment to think about how you might be able to help our community help ourselves. Each of us has a special gift, a unique ability, a much-needed skill that can go a long way in helping us strengthen ourselves and to insure that there truly is a "unity within our community."

Yes...the future is ours. And it can be a bright, promising one if we all work together to make it happen.




Sheila Kirk, MD recently made Trans-history by forming the first Transgender Surgical & Medical Center (TSMC Center) developed and directed by a Trans surgeon. In addition, Dr Kirk is the first Trans-surgeon performing MTF GRS surgeries, breast augmentation and related surgeries. Together with her partners she also performs rib removals, male pattern baldness correction, craino-facial feminization, body and facial contouring and corrective procedures. You can receive more information about the TSMC Center or ask Dr. Kirk questions on your treatment and care, by contacting her at TSMC@aol.com, by phone (412) 781-1092, fax (412) 781-1096 or snail mail: TSMC P.O. Box 38366, Blawnox, PA 15238.

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